The IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “IWC 150 Years” (Ref.IW505001/IW505002/IW505003) is the first-ever IWC wristwatch with a jumping numeral module. Just like the historic Pallweber pocket watches, which were made in Schaffhausen back in 1884, it displays the hours and minutes using large numerals on rotating discs.
This is a big year for IWC – the Schaffhausen-based manufacture turns 150 years old, and they’re celebrating in a serious way. There are a few novelties that include totally new movements and complications, as well as new takes on favorite references to commemorate the milestone. In all, there are 27 watches in the Jubilee collection, and they all follow a set of design codes that hold the otherwise extremely diverse collection together.
Let’s look at the things these watches all have in common (and why), and then we’ll dive into the limited editions themselves Let’s start with the dials. All the dials in this collection are either blue lacquer or white lacquer, which is intended as a nod to the enamel dials used on the original Pallweber pocket watches (more on those shortly). Each gets 12 layers of lacquer before undergoing a brushing and polishing treatment, followed by a printing process. The watches all feature printed markers, black for the white dials and white for the blue dials, instead of receiving the applied metallic markers many of them feature in non-limited versions. Each color also gets a special treatment for the hands – the blue dials are paired with rhodium-plated hands and the white dials with blued hands.
All of the Jubilee watches, regardless of dial color, come on black alligator straps. The IWC design team chose these to add a bit of formality to the watches, and across the board they look nice with the models selected. Finally, each watch bears a “150 Years” insignia somewhere. For those with open casebacks, it can be found as a medallion set into the movement, while those with closed casebacks feature a simpler engraving on the caseback itself.
As I said, there are 27 different models in the Jubilee collection, and they come from the Portugieser, Portofino, Da Vinci, and Pilot’s collections, and then there are the new Tribute to Pallweber watches as well. If you add up all the limited editions, you end up with 17,855 watches total, so a good number of IWC collectors will be able to get in on the fun here (just as IWC intended). Unless noted below, the specs are identical to those of the standard collection watches, save the special dials, straps, and 150 years markings.
Without further ado, here are all the watches in the Replica IWC Jubilee 150 Years collection.
Jack already went in-depth with this one when the red gold model was announced as a pre-SIHH piece back in December, but there are two additional models in stainless steel and platinum (with blue and white dials, respectively).
This is a big year for IWC – the Schaffhausen-based manufacture turns 150 years old, and they’re celebrating in a serious way. There are a few novelties that include totally new movements and complications, as well as new takes on favorite references to commemorate the milestone.
The IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition “150 Years” is a puristic Portugieser wristwatch with a hand-wound movement, featuring the design cues of the Jubilee collection. This model is limited to 1000 watches and is housed in a simple stainless-steel case.
The first was an “affordable” pilot’s watch, the second featured an annual calendar complication, and the third is the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Big Date Edition “150 Years” (we are going to call it the “Big Date Jubilee” henceforth) with both a white and blue dial option. While many of those models were simply a design refresh or new dial color, the Big Date Jubilee adds an entirely new model
IWC Portugieser Chronograph Edition ‘150 Years’ wrist shot At SIHH 2018 IWC released five different watch collections in celebration of the Schaffhausen-based company’s 150th anniversary. Each of these collections is a limited edition and designated by the Edition “150 Years” moniker.